New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella has issued a warning to residents about a surge in fraudulent text messages purporting to be from the state’s court system. The scam messages often claim that recipients have missed court dates or owe fines, and some include QR codes that direct users to sites requesting payment.

The New Hampshire Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection and Antitrust bureau reported receiving numerous complaints from consumers about these deceptive communications. According to officials, these texts may present themselves as “notice of hearing” alerts and encourage recipients to scan QR codes as a means of submitting payment to avoid supposed legal consequences.

Authorities emphasized that the New Hampshire judicial branch does not send QR codes via text messages, nor does it solicit payments or request financial information through text-linked websites or codes. The scam texts also frequently reference outdated or inaccurate entities within the court system, such as the “District Court, Traffic Division,” which no longer exists.

Officials advise that anyone who receives such messages should refrain from scanning QR codes, clicking on embedded links, providing personal or financial information, or making any payments. Recipients are urged to delete these text messages immediately to avoid falling victim to the scam.